OPINION: 10 Familiar Faces for Canada

The youth movement has arrived for Canada and it looks like it will be on full display at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

With the World Series now complete, many baseball insiders have now turned their attention to the next installment of what turned out to be a major coup for the sport in 2023.

We take a look at 10 players from Alberta and Saskatchewan who could hear their names get called ahead of the tournament.

Next in Line

It was a thrill to see Erik Sabrowski take the mound for the Cleveland Guardians last season.

The former Edmonton Prospects two-way star had a dream start to his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, pitching flawlessly in the regular season before being called upon in big moments during the playoffs.

So, who’s next? We look at five possibilities.

Off The Matt

Unlike a ball diamond’s basepaths, a journey in professional baseball is never a straight line.

No one knows that more than Matt Lloyd, who has endured more than his fair share of detours over the past few years as he looks to fulfill the dream of making it to the big leagues.

The Dawgs Academy alum is coming off a solid first season in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Maple Matt

After his 2022 season was cut short by injury, Matt Lloyd had high expectations of himself heading into the year.

Despite being released by the Cincinnati Reds, the Okotoks Dawgs alum became an All-Star with the Sioux City Explorers.

He also represented Baseball Canada at the Pan Am Qualifiers in Argentina, and was named the Men’s National Team Most Valuable Player.

Alberta Pumps Up Pan Am Roster

Team Canada will get a boost from several Alberta players and coaches at the upcoming Pan Am Qualifiers …

Reds Rover

Matt Lloyd vividly remembers how his 2022 baseball season came to an unexpected end.

The Calgary native was patrolling first base for the Chattanooga Lookouts in a May 3 game against Rocket City, when a hard-hit ball was relayed back to him.

Trying to simultaneously catch the ball and dive and tag the runner, he felt a pop, that led to a surgery and lengthy rehabilitation.

Five Storylines We’re Watching in 2023

If one thing is for certain, 2023 will not be short on things for baseball fans in Alberta to talk about.

2022 certainly set the bar high with fantastic individual and team performances, great community-building opportunities and a return to “normal” of sorts after what was an unprecedented couple of years around the world.

Once again, we take a look at the top five storylines we will be watching heading into the new year.

Alberta’s 2022 Pro Connections

The 2022 baseball season is officially underway.

Scouring the rosters of all Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball teams, there is certainly no shortage of connections to Alberta on the field.

We’ve compiled a list of players who were born here, trained here or played here with the Western Canadian Baseball League.

Great Dane

2021 didn’t start off exactly as Dane Tofteland had expected, but it ended better than he could have hoped.

After being released from Quebec in the Frontier League, the Grande Prairie native was an All-Star and finished second in voting for MVP in the Intercounty League.

He’s hoping that success will give him a chance to keep chasing his baseball dream.

Leader of the Dawg Pack

It is a baseball oasis in the middle of Canada’s prairie landscape.

In under 20 years, the Okotoks Dawgs college and academy programs have become the benchmark for success.

When looking at the path it took to get there, you can’t blame managing director John Ircandia for smiling from ear-to-ear as he looks at his own field of dreams.

We chatted with him in a recent episode of Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast to learn more about his mindset and vision going forward.